Dark Magic Power Boosts, Cruciatus and Imperius (Some TBAY)

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 40401

Elkins wrote (about Crouch Jr. perhaps refusing Voldemort's request 
for assistance):

> (It does make you wonder, though, doesn't it, what Voldemort would 
> have done if Crouch had said "no?"  I mean, *was* there a Plan B?)

Plan B?  Well, let's see.  Crouch Jr. might say something like, "You 
know, I've been couped up under this cloak a long time and I was 
thinking of maybe taking some time *off*, if that's all right with 
you, Voldemort."  

Mmm, nah.  Not unless Crouch Jr. was hoping to do a dance with the 
Cruciatus Curse, figuring it might help clear his mind or 
something.  

Hey, here's a totally wacky thought, though.  Maybe, just maybe, the 
Cruciatus Curse makes wizards *more* powerfully magical than they 
would otherwise be.  That's why Voldemort dispenses these Cruciatus 
curses to his own DEs.  That's why the DEs tolerate this sort of 
abuse.  And that's why Avery volunteers for that Cruciatus Curse in 
the graveyard.  Oh, sure, it will sting a bit at first, but it is 
*so* totally worth it, because now Avery is stronger.  Avery isn't a 
SYCOPHANT; he's an overachiever!

That's the real reason Cruciatus is an Unforgiveable -- it makes the 
victim *stronger* in the long haul.

So let's see.  Who else gets a taste of Cruciatus?  Wormtail and 
Cedric.  Cedric surely displays some power after Krum hit him with 
the Cruciatus Curse -- Cedric almost reaches the Cup first and teams 
up with Harry to stun the spider.

The only wizards who received the Cruciatus Curse and didn't get 
stronger were Bertha and the Longbottoms.  And that's only because 
they received *way* too much of it.  They *overdosed* on Cruciatus, 
that's what happened, poor things.

And then there's Harry.  Harry, who received two Cruciatus Curses 
and became able to dodge spells, who didn't report that his scar was 
hurting after the second Cruciatus Curse despite Voldemort's close 
proximity and murderous conduct.  In fact, Harry was unable even to 
resist being bent forward at the waist after one Cruciatus Curse, 
but was able to *throw off Imperius* after the second.

Hey, it's a thought!

Elkins:

> Why *was* Crouch only able to throw off his father's Imperius at 
>the QWC, after so many years of being unable to resist it?  For 
>that matter, why had his ability to resist it started growing 
>stronger in the very recent past?  In his confession, he says: 
> 
> "'But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger.  I was 
>starting to fight my father's Imperius Curse.  There were times 
>when I was almost myself again.  There were brief periods when I 
>seemed outside his control.'"
> 
> That's interesting, isn't it?  *Why?*  Why was he growing 
>stronger?  

I have an idea.  It is certainly reasonable to assume that Crouch 
Jr. was growing stronger.  Maybe, maybe.

But how about an alternative theory?  A theory that explains all of 
the pesky, FLINT-y problems with the Imperius Curse?  How about if 
the Imperius Curse is only as strong as the wizard casting it?  How 
about if the Imperius Curse is a classic struggle of wills, a clash 
of power between the controller and victim.  

After all, Mulciber specialized in the Imperius Curse.  If all 
Imperius Curses are the same, why have someone specialize in it?

The answer, I say, is that everyone knows the Imperius Curse can be 
thrown off by powerful wizards.  So you don't want any old hack 
casting Imperius on wizards; you want to send in your "A" team -- 
Mulciber, whose Imperius Curses seem to stick.

Oh, *now* we're rolling!  If the Imperius Curse is only as strong as 
the wizard casting it, then it makes perfect sense for Crouch/Moody 
to teach Harry to fight it.  Crouch/Moody knows his own Imperius is 
*child's play* compared to Voldemort's Imperius, so there's no harm 
in teaching Harry to fight it.  

It also explains why the DEs in the Graveyard stop laughing it up 
when they see Harry throw of Voldemort's curse.  This is the first 
real hard evidence they've seen that Harry is stronger than 
Voldemort.  Oh, that Voldemort has a barrel of excuses for his other 
defeats, doesn't he?  Ancient magic, "Phoenix tears, I forgot!"  Not 
this time, though.  This time, the DEs saw with their own eyes that 
Voldemort's Imperius Curse isn't strong enough to control Harry.  
And that's important!

As far as Crouch Jr. goes, he didn't really get stronger during all 
those years under the cloak, under this theory.  Crouch *Sr.* was 
getting *weaker*, that's what was going on.  Crouch Sr. was getting 
more and more discouraged by his failure to win become Minister of 
Magic, becoming bitter from being shunted aside and forced to work 
with the likes of Ludo Bagman.  And Crouch Sr. was just plain 
growing older.  All of that made young Crouch *relatively* stronger 
compared with his father, I think, not stronger overall.

Cindy (who thinks Pip and her MAGIC DISHWASHER will *not* like the 
idea that Cruciatus makes a wizard stronger)